The Newsletter of the General Benjamin Pritchard, Camp 20, Department of Michigan, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War

Transcription

1 The Newsletter of the General Benjamin Pritchard, Camp 20, Department of Michigan, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War Vol. XXVIII, No. 3 May 2011 IN THIS ISSUE Announcements. 2 Camp Calendar 2 Camp Happenings Quote of the Month: Joseph E. Johnston 4 Our Heritage: Pvt. William Henry Baker Camp 20 Officers COMMANDER JEFF E. BAKER SR. VICE COMMANDER JOHN R.KEITH JR. VICE COMMANDER DENNIS LAPOINT CAMP SECRETARY DANIEL KNIGHT CAMP TREASURER JOHN C. KEITH GUARD: CLIFFORD BURHANS GUIDE: DAVID CONKLIN Patriotic Instruction: Sheriff Benjamin F. Orcutt Years Ago in the Civil War. 7 Civil War Casualties. 7 Civil War Trivia Question. 7 Sesquicentennial Events for History: That Peculiar Institution The South Defends Slavery.. 8 PATRIOTIC INSTRUCTOR: JOSEPH MAZUREK EAGLE SCOUT COORDINATOR: DANIEL KNIGHT MEMORIALS & MONUMENTS: ART BONNELL GRAVES REGISTRATION OFFICER: BILL COSTELLO COLOR BEARER: GLENN HALL [1]

2 HISTORIAN: GARY GIBSON CHAPLAIN: BILL BRENNAN SIGNAL OFFICER: JOHN C. KEITH MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL: BILL COSTELLO, STEVE REDINGER AND ART BRUNNELL PRITCHARD PRESS EDITOR: GARY SWAIN Our Purpose As Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW), we are the legal heirs to the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). Our goal and purpose is to perpetuate the memory of the GAR; what they did in the Civil War and to preserve the Union, and to continue the work they started following the War. Teaching others about our flag, patriotism and citizenship were important to them and should be important to us all. Learning about the other cultures and histories that live among us today is important, but the basic history of the United States cannot take second place to that of others. We are a National organization divided into Departments (States) and then Camps (local chapters). While perpetuating the memory of the GAR, we also work actively to locate and record the final resting place of all Civil War soldiers as well as work to restore and or preserve Civil War memorials. We also seek to honor the veterans of all wars. We participate in Memorial Day services as well as those on Veterans' Day. Announcements Wanted: Civil War/Kalamazoo Photos- The Kalamazoo Public Library is preparing a Civil War- Kalamazoo photo program. If you have any photos that you would be willing to allow them to scan please contact Beth Timmerman, the Local History Librarian, at the Kalamazoo Library. Camp Calendar May th, 9:30 am: Allegan Memorial Day Parade 12:00 pm: Luncheon and tour of Gen. Benjamin Pritchard house, Allegan, MI. 7:00 pm: Memorial Day Ceremony at Riverside Cemetery June th, 7 pm: Camp Meeting-Portage Library 14 th : Flag Day: Fly your flag [2]

3 July th : Independence Day presented a program on April 26 th, to a packed house at the Kalamazoo Public Library, on the GAR Memorial at Riverside Cemetery. He related the history of the memorial and told many fascinating stories of the veterans interned there. 5 th, 7pm Camp Meeting-Portage Library August nd, 7 pm: Camp Meeting-Portage Library 11 th -14 th : National 2011 Encampment, Reston, VA 14 th : Civil War Collectors Show- Centerville, MI 26 th -28 th, Jackson, MI Cascades Civil War Muster Camp Happenings In April Brothers Tom Bruce and Bill Costello replaced four grave stones in the Robinson Cemetery in Gobles. The stones marked the graves of; Privates Marcus T. Clark, Co. A, 3 rd Mich. Cav., George Prescott, Co. A, 3 rd Mich. Inf., James Cannon, Co. G, 28 th. Mich. Inf., and Aquilla Carey, Co. H, 102 nd U.S.C.G. Camp 20 Historian Gary Gibson [3]

4 Brother Tom Bruce also replaced the stone of Daniel Klapp, Co. A, 48 th. Ind. Inf. in Spring Grove Cemetery in Bloomingdale, MI. Bro. Toms next project is to replace the headstone (pictured below) of George Lackey, Corpl., 2 nd Mich. Cav. which is broker into nine pieces. This stone is also in the Tucker Cemetery. Also in April, Bro Tom replaced the headstone of Sylvanus Bush, Co. D, 13 th Mich. Inf., in the Tucker Cemetery in Bloomingdale, MI. Quote of the Month "I know Mr. Davis thinks he can do a great many things other men would hesitate to attempt. For instance, he tried to do what God failed to do. He tried to make a soldier of Braxton Bragg..." General Joseph E. Johnston [4]

5 barefoot in the wagon tracks of Middle Road and the cooling waters of Kellogg Lake. His older brother Edward died in Then between 1850 and 1854 his Baker grandparents and his parents died. The farm then passed to William Henry s oldest brother Anson Waldo Baker. Our Heritage Pvt. William Henry Baker By Jeff Baker About twenty years ago I began to search for a Union Army veteran. I had his Grand Army of the Republic medal, his last name and several stories about him. Beyond that he was unknown. He was my father s grandfather and we had forgotten him. My first step was to obtain a copy of my grandfather s death certificate. On the bottom his father s name was listed. Finally, I knew that his name was William Henry Baker. Next came the process of learning about him from census records and his service and pension records from the National Archives. He was born February 10 th, 1840 in Walworth Township, Wayne County, New York; the youngest child of Royal and Sarah Baker. In 1842 his family came to Highland and they started a 40 acre farm. Here they experienced Michigan farm life in the 1840 s. Young Billy came to know the crow of the rooster, the feel of walking William Henry Baker married Emma Cowles on April 1st, He remained by her side for two years but then answered the call of his country. On September 5 th, 1864 he enlisted in Battery M, 1 st Michigan Light Artillery. He traveled south where Battery M was manning the fortifications at Cumberland Gap. Here they we part of the 1 st Brigade, 4 th Division, 23 rd Army Corp. Upon his arrival he was issued some infantry equipment and a 58 cal. rifled musket. Then he joined his fellow artillerymen on patrols into the rainy hills of southwestern Virginia. They did this from September into the spring of Then the war ended and Battery M walked home arriving in Jackson Michigan on July 12 th. During its entire term of service Battery M carried 297 officers and men on its rolls. It lost 3 men killed in action and 13 men who died of disease. On August 1 st Battery M was mustered out of service. William Henry then returned to Emma s side. On January 25 th, 1867 their first child, Arthur Waldo Baker, was born. Three other children were born to them. One of these lived to the age of 24 and the other two died in infancy. [5]

6 In 1891 they sold their 60 acre farm in Section 18. This was the southwest corner of Middle and Hickory Ridge Road. Then they moved to Grand Rapids. Arthur worked for the Pere Marquette Rail Road and after a few years he married a young teacher named Mabel Merriman. On April 3 rd, 1916 William Henry and Emma became grandparents. On that day my father, Eugene, was born, the only child of Arthur and Mabel Baker. William Henry Baker was loyal to his family, his country and his friends. In late 1918 a friend needed his help to move a piano down some stairs. In the process the piano fell on William Henry breaking his hip. While he was in the hospital for this he contracted pneumonia which ended his earthly life on January 7 th, On that day he found peace. His thoughts were still his thoughts, fully clothed within his memories, his loyalty and his courage. He was met by his grandparents, his parents and 3 of his 4 children. Emma joined them in 1927 and Arthur joined them in My search for William Henry Baker has taken me back to the birth of his great great great grandfather William Baker, in the town of Concord, Massachusetts Colony in It has also taken me back to his grandmother s father, Lt. Edward Waldo who was wounded in the battles of Bunker Hill and Bennington, while serving in the 16 th New Hampshire Militia, during the Revolution. It has also reunited me with other members of my larger Baker family. Patriotic Instruction By Joe Mazurek Kalamazoo recently experienced the tragic loss of a Public Service Officer killed in the line of duty. In covering the story, local media frequently reported that Officer Eric Zapada was the second police officer to lose his life since 1867 but failed to note the name of the first officer. The officer was Sheriff Benjamin F. Orcutt of Kalamazoo County. Sheriff Orcutt was shot and mortally wounded on December 3, 1867 during the pursuit of escaped prisoners from the Kalamazoo County Jail and died on December 12, Sheriff Orcutt was a veteran of both the Mexican and Civil Wars. He served as the Lieutenant Colonel of the 25 th Michigan Infantry Regiment from his commission on September 1, 1862 until the close of the war in Colonel Orcutt was born in Roxbury, Vermont on February 9, 1815 and came to Michigan in the mid 1830 s where he initially was a building contractor and was [6]

7 elected Constable in He enlisted Nov 5, 1847 in Company A of the 1 st Michigan Infantry as 1 st Sergeant and accompanied the Regiment to Cordova, Mexico. He mustered out on July 18, After his Mexican War service he returned to Kalamazoo where he was a Deputy U.S. Marshal and served as Sheriff of Kalamazoo County from 1856 to During the Civil War he frequently was in command of the 25 th Michigan during the Atlanta Campaign and for a time in 1863 was commander of the military prison in Louisville, Kentucky. His personnel file from this time notes that there was an unusual incident involving his administration of prisoner funds from the prison. This resulted in the Secretary of War ordering in September 1863 the stoppage of Col. Orcutt s pay until satisfactory restitution of some twelve hundred dollars of prisoner s funds was made. Colonel Orcutt apparently promptly accounted for the discrepancy as his pay was restored in October of the same year. After his death, Colonel Orcutt was laid to rest in Mountain Home Cemetery in Kalamazoo and the local G.A.R. Post #79 was named in his honor. The State of Michigan authorized $600 for his cemetery monument which was inscribed with the words In war, a soldier, in peace, the citizen s guardian. The perpetrators of his murder were not identified and his murder was never solved. 150 Years Ago in June 1861 July 4, Lincoln, in a speech to Congress, states the war is..."a People's contest...a struggle for maintaining in the world, that form, and substance of government, whose leading object is, to elevate the condition of men..." The Congress authorizes a call for 500,000 men. First Bull Run July 21, The Union Army under Gen. Irvin McDowell suffers a defeat at Bull Run 25 miles southwest of Washington. Confederate Gen. Thomas J. Jackson earns the nickname "Stonewall," as his brigade resists Union attacks. Union troops fall back to Washington. President Lincoln realizes the war will be long. "It's damned bad," he comments. This is a photo of the ruins of the Stone Bridge over which Northern forces retreated until it was blown up by a Rebel shell adding to the panic of the retreat, with the Federals returning to Washington as "a rain-soaked mob." July 27, President Lincoln appoints George B. McClellan as Commander of the Department of the Potomac, replacing McDowell. McClellan tells his wife, "I find myself in a new and strange position here: President, cabinet, Gen. Scott, and all deferring to me. By some strange operation of magic I seem to have become the power of the land." Civil War Trivia Question Major Robert Anderson surrendered Fort Sumter to the troops of Confederate general P.G.T. Beauregard, on April 14, [7]

8 1861. Who raised the Stars and Stripes there exactly four years later? Answer: Next Column June-August -- Evening events about the First Battle of Manassas, Manassas National Battlefield Park, Va. June September -- Programs on Southern Confederate spies, Ford's Theater, Washington, D.C. June Tours, lectures on the Union occupation of Arlington, Arlington House National Memorial, Arlington, Va. June Historical artillery demonstrations, Antietam National Battlefield, Sharpsburg, Md. June Juneteenth ceremony marking the end of slavery, Antietam National Battlefield, Sharpsburg, Md. June Infantry demonstrations, Antietam National Battlefield, Sharpsburg, Md. Civil War Casualties Civil War Casualties May 1861 Month War to Date North South *Casualties include disease, capture, disfigurement and death Civil War Trivia Question Answer The U.S. flag was raised by the same Robert Anderson, retired as a brigadier general, because of poor health. Calendar of Civil War Commemorative Events in 2011 June -- Military music concerts, Richmond National Battlefield Park, Richmond, Va. History [8]

9 The South Defends Slavery By Gary Swain Never before has the black race of Central Africa, from the dawn of history to the present day, attained a condition so civilized and so improved, not only physically, but morally and intellectually I hold that in the present state of civilization, where two races of different origin, and distinguished by color, and other physical differences, as well as intellectual, are brought together, the relation now existing in the slaveholding States between the two, is, instead of an evil, a good, a positive good. John C. Calhoun, Feb. 6, 1837 in his famous Positive Good speech to US Senate [9]

10 The Negro is inferior, fitted by Almighty God expressly for servitude. Jefferson Davis, President CSA..."Everyone acquainted with Southern slaves knows that the slave rejoices in the elevation and prosperity of his master; and the heart of no one is more gladdened at the successful debut of the young master or miss on the great theater of the world than that of either the young slave who has grown up with them and shared in all their sports, and even partaken of all their delicacies, or the aged one who has looked on and watched them from birth to manhood, with the kindest and most affectionate solicitude, and has ever met from them all the kind treatment and generous sympathies of feeling, tender hearts... " Thomas Drew Governor of Arkansas [10]

11 God has placed the Negro in our hands Jefferson Davis, President CSA "Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its corner- stone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery subordination to the superior race is his natural and normal condition." Vice President of the Confederacy, Alexander Hamilton Stephens. We understand the nature of the Negro race. Jefferson Davis, President CSA [11]

12 Slavery is a divine blessing Slavery is the cornerstone of the Confederacy Jefferson Davis, President CSA My first position is this: God did recognize the relation of master and slave among the Patriarchs of the Old Testament; and did give express permission to the Jewish church to form that relation. But God who is infinitely holy, could not recognize a relation in itself wrong, or give men permission to form such a relation. Therefore the relation of master and slave is not in itself sinful. L. Rice, in a debate with Rev. J. Blanchard on the question of slavery. [12]

13 The African slave is the most contented laborer on earth with natural affection for his master. Jefferson Davis, President CSA Ham, it was said, was the father of all Blacks. Abraham held slaves. Leviticus enjoins the children of Israel to take slaves from the heathens. Philemon is told to return to master by Paul. Jesus never attacked the institution of slavery. Richard Furman, President of the State Baptist Convention in 1823 Biblical defense of slavery. [13]

14 No bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law denying or impairing the right of property in negro slaves shall be passed. Constitution of the Confederate States of America Section 9 - Limits on Congress, Bill of Rights You cannot make soldiers of slaves or slaves of soldiers. The day you make soldiers of slaves is the beginning of the end of the revolution. If slaves will make good soldiers our whole theory of slavery is wrong. Howell Cobb, Confederate Congressman and Presidential Candidate, November 1864 [14]

15 In this enlightened age, there are few I believe, but what will acknowledge, that slavery as an institution, is a moral & political evil in any Country. It is useless to expatiate on its disadvantages. I think it however a greater evil to the white man than to the black race, & while my feelings are strongly enlisted in behalf of the latter, my sympathies are more strong for the former. The blacks are immeasurably better off here than in Africa, morally, socially & physically. The painful discipline they are undergoing, is necessary for their instruction as a race, & I hope will prepare & lead them to better things. How long their subjugation may be necessary is known & ordered by a wise Merciful Providence. Robert E. Lee, letter to his wife on slavery (December 27, 1856) If I thought, had any idea, that I d ever be a slave again, I d take a gun and just end it all right away. Accuse, your nothing but a dog. Not a thing but a dog. William Moore-Former Slave, Age 82, Texas Slave Memory Firsthand Account Recorded by the WPA in 1936 [15]